[upbeat rock music]
[revving]
[clicks]
[music fades]
-There it is.
-Big day.
[blonde] It's a bit bigger
in real life, isn't it?
[Tom] Okay.
[deep breath]
[indistinct chattering]
-And they've still got the sign.
-[brown coat] Oh, yeah.
[Francis] There he is, guys.
-[blonde clears throat]
-Jeremy?
-Hey.
-[all greet]
How's things?
Yeah, sorry,
that's got a bit of meat on it.
How's-- Yeah, all right.
[laughing]
-S'all right. Go for the handshake.
-Yeah, sorry about that.
So, how can I help?
We've come to ask...
Please, may we use the tent
for our studio?
You want to use it?
-Well, yeah, it's for the show.
-Yeah.
-[Francis] Studio.
-We need a-- You know, like a place.
Not really.
I mean, you could.
But it's got a butcher's in it now
and a bar.
And a shop.
And an off license.
Is there, like, a corner?
Again, not really.
It's usually quite busy in here
as well. That's...
So, there wouldn't be an audience
so much as customers.
-Okay.
-Good. No, good.
I mean, I want to help.
It's just-- look.
-Oh.
-Yeah, no.
-It's been repurposed.
-[James] Mhm.
-We totally understand.
-Hundred percent.
So, can I get you any meat
while you're here?
Uh, do you do pork-and-sage sausages?
Almost certainly.
The sausages are all in there.
Perfect, okay.
I'll let you grab some.
All right, best of...
Hey, listen, guys.
-[Tom] Yeah.
-Guys, seriously.
[brown coat] Yeah.
Have fun with this.
-Thank you, Jeremy.
-[Jeremy] Yeah?
I mean it and good luck.
And don't f*ck it up.
-Right, okay.
-All right?
Thank you, Jeremy.
-Good, take care of yourselves.
-Okay.
You need your sausages, yeah. Go ahead.
[Tom] It's not exactly
how I pictured that going.
I've got to be honest with you.
I've actually been watching
what they've been up to
for the last year and a half.
And they're very, very good.
I think you're going to love it.
["The b*tch is Back" by Elton John]
-Is that you?
-Yes.
[sting]
[brown coat] That makes that me.
[sting]
And that Francis.
[tires screeching]
[sting]
[revving]
[James] What does it say about
Angola that we found some motorsport
[on radio] before we found a wild animal?
It means we've come to the right place!
Goodbye, James!
Considering we're on a runway,
you'd imagine it would be something
like a top fuel drag...
[whoosh]
[revving]
Why do people not shout more
about Malaysian car culture?
'Cause they can't hear over it.
[engines snarling]
[all] Woah!
[James radio]
Keep it tight, Thomas! Keep it tight!
Francis is too handsome for prison!
[Francis radio] James, stop!
Where's the jet? Where is he?
Holy sh*t!
-Think he's going to be okay?
-No.
[tires screeching]
-[music cuts]
-What's the average size
of an urban, European parking space?
What, you actually know it?
Come on, people used to say I was nerdy.
This is fantastic.
-[music continues]
-[Francis laughing]
[engine juddering]
[Tom] We're racing in Angola!
Oh, sh*t!
-[crowd cheering]
-[coughing]
Oh!
Oh, personal space!
[James] Oh, that's the edge!
[revving]
Don't like that.
-Jesus!
-I'm getting out of here.
Yeah, me too.
[crunch]
[engine juddering]
[smooch]
[clanging]
[Francis] Oh, my God!
[music cuts]
Have you seen some of the stuff
we've done?
Um, yeah.
-I liked it.
-Thank you.
-Did you see the bit where the--
-No.
[whooshing noise]
-No, I didn't see that.
-It-- you didn't?
-No, sorry.
-Not that bit?
-[clicks]
-[ignition fires]
[revving]
So, I guess that means
we're homeless then.
[Tom radio] It does look that way.
[Francis radio] Look, at least
we're not coming away empty handed.
We've got our pork-and-sage sausages.
[Francis narrating]
Yes, we may be homeless,
but that's not stopping us
from going on adventures,
and it's about time
for our first film.
Which is about a power struggle
going on right now
in the world of cars.
I don't know if you've noticed,
but everything
is sort of going electric.
There are some great
electric cars out there,
but this has resulted
in petrol being backed
into a corner.
Back things into a corner
and they tend to fight back,
and nowhere is that fight more fierce
than America.
-[sting]
-[harrowing music]
[James] And in the dwindling world
of petrol sports cars,
the fight-back is happening
at the very highest levels of power.
So welcome, everyone,
to the Resistance.
[slow-motion revving]
[tires screeching]
Meet the wildest Mustang
the world has ever seen...
the Mustang Grand Touring Daytona,
or GTD.
The 5.2-litre V8 in this
with the help
of a 2.65-litre supercharger
makes 815 horsepower.
[engine snarls]
It's so fast and so extreme
that Ford say
it's no longer a sports car at all.
It is in fact a supercar.
[James] So, it's now a Mustang
that costs £300,000.
It is at least engulfed
in carbon-fibre panels,
sports a gargantuan rear wing,
and where the back seats should be,
-there's race suspension.
-[revving]
Look, I can literally
watch the springs move
in the cabin!
[music fades]
[engine roaring]
What is that?
[intriguing music]
What is that?
[whoosh]
[rippling blast]
[raucous rock music]
[revving]
Good morning!
This...
is the Corvette ZR1.
And it has 1,064 horsepower.
[Tom] At around half the price
of the Mustang,
this Corvette has a 5.5-litre,
twin-turbo V8.
That will push you
to 225 miles an hour.
This is what happens
when you back petrol cars
into a corner.
[intense revving]
Someone poked a bear!
A big, smelly grizzly bear.
Jesus...
[foreboding music]
[Tom] Although these two cars
may stand shoulder to shoulder
on the front line in the fight
against electric vehicles...
they are nevertheless
in competition with one another,
both of them fighting
to be the petrol-powered king.
Oh, there you are, James.
[on radio] Good to see you. That is
a very cool-looking car, actually.
[James] It is, and it was
looking better before yours came along.
Yeah, no, it looks really good, uh,
through the heat rising
out of my 1,064-horsepower,
twin-turbo V8.
Quick question for you, um...
are you okay being in the car
that has less horsepower, weighs
a whole walrus more
and costs twice as much?
[James radio] Actually,
you're not allowed to insult this car
because even though it began its life
in the US,
it then went onto a better place,
Canada,
and re-forced anew,
and that's where you're from,
so that's treason.
[Tom radio]
Yeah, I am actually quite proud
that car is made in Canada. It's made,
like, 20 minutes from my house.
It's awesome.
Um, but unfortunately
by the numbers today,
it's-- it's a bit--
it's a bit down, isn't it?
[James] It's not about the numbers.
You are looking at a bespoke race car.
Okay. Let's race then.
[tense music]
Okay, launch.
[Tom radio] Hey, James,
do you find it kind of weird
that, like, right now there's,
like, AI robots
probably planning a trip
to colonise Mars
or something,
but in the car world
we're still settling the debate
of who has the better car
by driving quite quickly
over a short distance
in a straight line?
Sorry, I was just-- I'm playing
with my launch-control settings.
Oh.
[revving]
[countdown beeps]
[starter rings]
[engines snarling]
Aw, here we go!
[James] Go, Mustang!
Oh, it's close!
[Tom] And I'm gone.
Yeah. Bye bye!
It was close!
Oh, look at that Corvette go.
Go, Mustang!
Go, Mustang!
[suspenseful music]
-What is that?
-[engine purring]
What is that?
Goodbye, James!
Hello, Thomas!
Bye, Thomas!
[laughing]
[music fades]
What the hell is that thing?
Woah!
[laughing]
-[Tom] You crazy...
-Unbelievable!
[Tom] What did--
I thought you were going to bring
a Dodge Demon or something.
This is a Hennessy Venom
F5 Revolution Evolution.
-[tense music]
-The most powerful,
internal-combustion-engine
production car in the world.
This is a 6.6-litre,
twin-turbocharged V8.
I have never seen a car move that quick.
When I put my foot down,
everything was-- was left behind.
[Tom laughs]
I'm--
I'm still waiting for my testicles.
[Tom laughing]
Okay!
That's the best defeat
I've ever experienced.
-[Francis] How much power?
-A big 815.
-[Francis] How much power?
-1,064.
[Francis chuckles]
Two thousand
and thirty-one brake horsepower.
Oh, my God!
How much does this car cost?
Two-point-one million pounds.
-[laughter]
-Oh, God!
-[Tom] Two million!
-[James] So you brought a hypercar.
Sorry, 2,031 horsepower,
no hybrid tech?
No, this--
These are all pure,
internal-combustion engines, right?
I feel like it just got nuts in,
like, the last year.
-It did.
-Like, 815...
-Yeah.
-...a minute ago was nuts.
This is America's upper cut
in response to the gut punch
of electric cars, I mean...
Francis, do the maths. What is it?
-Near enough.
-[Tom] Yeah.
-[James] We've got a journey ahead.
-Yeah.
[upbeat electronic music]
[Francis] As well as giving
electric supercars
a shock in the horsepower stakes,
these cars promise to deliver
a much more engaging
and visceral driving experience.
But which of these three
does that the best?
We couldn't agree,
so we decided to do a little road trip
through the wilds of California.
[music continues]
[Francis] The thing I'm really starting to
love about the Venom
is shifting under load.
It's like a sawn-off shotgun
being fired.
[click]
Even at low speeds, it's so satisfying!
[chuckle]
You don't have to be travelling
at 200 miles an hour
to enjoy this car.
-Ready?
-[revving]
[click]
[click]
-[click]
-Ogh!
It's so aggressive and it's brilliant.
It's brilliant!
[revving, click]
Ogh! [laughing]
[Tom] Hey, do you guys
want to talk about the Nürburgring?
Oh, f*ck!
[laughing]
-[music fades]
-No!
I know what Thomas is doing
with that question.
[Tom radio] It's really important,
you know, that track over in Germany,
the big, dangerous,
really long, fast one
where manufacturers take their cars
to prove how good they are?
What, uh...
What time did your car do there, James?
[James radio]
Uh, actually, it laid down the fastest
American-production-car lap time ever.
Six fifty-two.
That's quicker than a 918 Spyder.
Very good.
Until?
The Corvette did it one second faster
at 6'51.
Oh, that's just so unfortunate.
Um...
Francis,
have they put
the Hennessy Venom Evolution
Revolution Pollution
around the Nürburgring yet?
Uh, it's Revolution Evolution.
-Sorry.
-[Francis radio] Uh, and...
no, I don't think anyone has--
has been crazy enough
to go around the Nürburgring yet.
[laughing]
[foreboding music]
[Tom] Soon, we stumbled
across America's lowest town.
Sitting 220 feet below sea level
is Bombay Beach.
[James] Look at this place.
Oh, this is funky.
[Tom] This old lakeside resort
from the 1950s
used to be the place to be seen.
Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys
and Bing Crosby
were all regular visitors.
But as the lake dried out
and the beaches became contaminated,
the tourists left.
I've never been anywhere quite like this.
[Tom] Today, it's more or less deserted,
barring a few, uh...
interesting inhabitants.
Ooh!
[Tom radio]
You know how people microdose,
uh, magic mushrooms?
I don't think
these people are microdosing.
[Francis radio]
Look at this Bombay Beach Drive-In.
It's like a drive-in-cinema set-up.
Yeah, you guys want to go catch a flick?
Uh, I'm going to pull in.
[Tom] The Chevelle.
-That's an AMC Pacer.
-[fan whirring]
What's that noi-- Oh, it's...
-Ooh!
-[Tom] Francis.
-Have you seen what they've got?
-Your car is so loud.
How much of my trip
is going to be interrupted
by the fan on your Hennessy?
You're ruining the movie!
It-- it needs to breathe!
[fan whirring]
[Francis] Ooh...
This is a one-- W126 SEC.
[Tom] Is the Mercedes badge still on it?
[James] No. Did it come in factory pink?
And yellow?
[Tom laughs]
Oh, for sure, yeah.
[Francis] Yeah, lovely Mercedes cushions.
[James] Francis, honestly,
don't sit there... Ah.
[Tom] Francis,
-so much sex...
-Yeah.
...has happened in this car.
Francis, judging by the panties
hanging off the Gran Turino over there,
this has been a place of...
-Uh...
-[James] ...a place of debauchery.
-You had to ruin my moment of fun.
-[Tom] Don't touch me.
Hey! There's another Mustang!
It's got no wheels,
but it's a fixer-upper.
It's nice how your car
still honours its original platform.
-Yeah.
-Slightly.
The whole point of this
was the two plus two.
Mine has switched out the rear seats
for a suspension window.
-[Tom laughs]
-[Francis] And transaxle, I suppose.
-[James] Yeah.
-That felt very accusatory by the way.
[Francis] Yeah, I was getting onto that.
Your ZR1 is basically
a bastardised Italian supercar.
Hold on,
but both of your cars are part of--
They are classics parts
of the American dream, right?
What part of the American dream
does your car represent?
Well, I--
I'd say the new American dream...
[American accent]
of being a billionaire.
-[laughter]
-I've got to be a billionaire.
-Anything less is worse.
-Anything less is worse, yeah.
You can be anything if you're
a billionaire. You can be president.
-[distant train horn]
-[Tom] Yeah.
Oh, everyone, pause for a second.
-Wait, no.
-[Tom] There's a train.
-We need to get this.
-[James] We need to get what?
Please, like, get-- get in the car.
-No!
-[Tom] You want to catch the train?
-[James] Okay, okay.
-Okay.
-[rock music]
-[James] Go on!
-[Francis laughing]
-[rails screeching]
-No way!
-[train horn beeps]
-[music builds]
-[revving]
[James] We're chasing trains!
We're chasing trains
in the best
that internal combustion has to offer.
[intense revving]
Oh, look at that!
[Francis] Woah! Yes!
It's not hanging around, is it?
[laughing]
[James] We're in
a Francis Bourgeois dream right now.
[laughing]
Francis, how do I make him beep his horn?
Beep your horn!
[horn honking]
[train horn blares]
-Yeah!
-[music fades]
[Tom radio] Francis, I will admit
this is extremely cool.
[Francis radio] It's the very rare
occasion
that we'll come across something
on this trip
that's more powerful than the Venom.
[laughing]
That's true.
[Tom] As we parted company with...
Thomas the Tank Engine,
the sounds
that my co-hosts' cars had been making
got me thinking
about Francis's accusation
that my Corvette
is just a knock-off Italian supercar.
Both of those V8s in those cars
sound typically American.
It's kind of that, like,
dirty, warbled, 'brrrr'
sort of classic V8 sound.
This one has got that kind of smooth,
'vvvvv' sound,
and that's very, very characteristic
of Italian V8s.
As much as I love it,
it does feel a bit confused
as a Corvette
because all throughout history,
Corvettes had V8s like those ones,
not like this.
[fast-paced electronic music]
[Tom] A point that James
was eager to prove
as we drove deeper
into the Californian desert.
[raucous revving]
That is what a V8
is supposed to sound like,
not muffled by turbochargers...
[whoosh]
...but a screaming supercharger.
[juddering]
Music. Music!
[raucous revving]
[Francis] Now we were on a road
with proper curves,
I could finally get to grips
with my weapons-grade steering wheel.
[Francis] The steering
is so incredibly direct
and my inputs are transmitted
through this...
fighter-jet-like yoke.
Every degree of input
equates so exactly
to where the car goes.
[engine roaring]
And with acceleration like this...
I feel like I'm flying a fighter jet.
[Tom] Annoyingly, even though
this twisty stretch of asphalt
was a proper driving road,
we quickly realized
that our cars
were simply too powerful for it.
[music fades]
-Foot down.
-[revving]
[groan]
And then braking.
A blip!
[laughing]
[revving]
No! No, no!
Certainly not.
[Tom radio]
I don't know about you guys,
but I-- I cannot even
approach the limits
of my car on this road.
No chance.
[James radio]
It's very pretty, but you're right.
These cars need more.
Yeah, I just came on boost mid corner
and I think
I might need a change of underwear.
[ethereal music]
[Francis] Fortunately,
the ever wise Grand Tour Office
had organized for us
to visit a nearby racetrack.
[James radio] Welcome, boys,
to Thermal Raceway.
[deep sting]
[James] What we have here
is a haven
for extremely rich petrol heads.
If you can afford
one of the multi-million-dollar houses
lining the track side,
you can then race 'round
the Thermal circuit at your leisure.
It's rumoured that even Max Verstappen
owns a villa here,
in case you need to pop 'round
to borrow a pint of milk.
[Francis radio] Oh, boys, we've got
some serious cars parked out here.
[Tom] Do I spy with my little eye
a GT3 RS?
[James radio] The world's most perfect,
off-the-shelf race car, yeah.
Isn't that the car that Ford said
they wanted to beat
at the Nürburgring, and then
they didn't beat it at the Nürburgring?
[James radio] It-- they-- y--
They set it as a target. Okay?
That's what targets are for.
You aim for the Moon,
you fall amongst the stars. That's why
it's called a 'constellation prize'.
James, it's not a 'constellation prize'.
It's a 'consolation prize'.
[laughing]
Well then what--
How's that got to do with stars?
[laughing]
It doesn't, you dumbass!
What?
[laughing]
It's not--
it's not a 'constellation prize'?
[Tom radio] No!
[James] So, as it was getting
a bit dark to use the track,
the office had managed to find us
a not-so-shabby villa.
[dreamy music]
[Tom radio]
This one is ours? This one?
You're kidding!
[Francis laughing]
Oh, my goodness me.
[Tom] This place is crazy!
This looks good here.
This makes me feel
like I'm visiting the wealthy home
of billionaire TikToker
Francis Bourgeois.
-[Tom laughs]
-I wouldn't do toplights like these.
[laughter]
This is absolutely unbelievable.
I'm sorry. Can I help you?
-Can I help you?
-[James] Yeah, our bags are in here.
Why are your bags in my car?
We don't have storage
in our vehicles, Thomas.
I don't have--
I have suspension instead of a boot.
So, wait-- when did you put your...
I feel weirdly violated.
You know what?
This is a boiling hot bag, so...
Yeah, it is.
[James] This doesn't work
as a solution in the future.
[Tom] What do you mean it doesn't work
as a-- What...
-I'm not saying thank you.
-Guys, guys.
We're billionaires now, right?
[James] We're billionaires.
Do we whisper?
[Tom] Do we stand differently?
I don't understand.
Like... open up the shoulders.
Open the shoulders, yeah.
-Threads to the sky, you know?
-Threads...
[Tom] I don't pay my taxes.
Do you think-- do you think
this place has one of those toilets
that washes your bum
with warm water?
-Absolutely.
-Yeah.
Based on this staircase alone,
what kind of car
do you think this person daily drives?
-G-Wagon.
-Urus.
[laughing]
I think somewhere in between the two.
-Or both.
-[touching music]
-[clicks]
-[tense music]
[James] How's that?
[Tom laughing] It's not bad!
I didn't realize
the racetrack was right there.
[James] It is right there.
[Tom laughing] Oh, wow!
Is Francis still in bed by the way?
[James] Um, if bed is
a 2,000-horsepower hypercar.
[revving]
[upbeat rock music]
Okay, I'm going to put it in F5 mode.
[click]
I'm going to unleash
the full 2,031 brake horsepower.
-[revving]
-[steering snap]
[gasp]
[raucous revving]
-[juddering]
-Wow!
Absolute hellfire!
This car is built for 300 miles an hour.
They had to use
NASA's shuttle-landing facility
just to bring it up to its limits.
-[tires screech]
-Oh, my goodness me!
And they hit a top speed
of 270 miles an hour
and it had more left to give.
I've opened up the gates of hell
with this Hennessy Venom.
And I don't know
if I can get them closed again!
[tense electronic music]
[Tom] We quickly joined Francis,
eager to find out
what our cars were like
on a proper racing circuit.
[whoosh]
[Tom] All right, let's see what she's got.
Track mode.
[engine roaring]
Woah... Jesus!
[tires screeching]
This has got the extra...
ZTK track package.
So, I got down force,
sticky tires...
The engine has anti-lag system, right?
So, as I brake into a corner
and downshift like that,
it keeps the turbos spinning.
-[tires screech]
-It keeps boost
going into the intake
so on the way out...
-[engine roaring]
-...there's no lag.
Just...
Just face-crushing performance.
And the steering too,
I've driven all of the other Corvettes
of this generation
and usually the steering,
there's no feedback to it.
It feels like...
trying to read braille
with oven mitts on.
This one, though, it's... it's different.
[tires screeching]
[rock music]
[James] Okay.
This is when any semblance
of a normal Mustang...
disappears,
and I have driven them all.
[engine humming]
This has been
comprehensively re-engineered
by a Canadian company called Multimatic,
which, admittedly,
sounds like an air conditioner,
but they're the same guys
that did the Ford GT
and the Aston Martin Valkyrie.
-They don't mess around.
-[engine roaring]
[tires screeching]
That wider track, six inches wider
than a normal Mustang,
is in the effort to put as much rubber
down on the road as possible.
So, those front tires,
they're as wide
as a Lamborghini's rear tires.
And for performance, in track mode,
it cuts off the air conditioning
when required.
So, even though it is finished
in Canada,
it holds onto some American values
because it is sacrificing my well-being
to gain power.
[revving]
[Tom] After a morning
of wrestling horsepower,
we were finally getting the hang
of our cars.
-[tires screeching]
-[James laughs]
However, there was quite a bit
of head room
in the performance of these machines
and, inevitably, we hit our limits.
[tires screeching]
-[smack]
-Oh!
I just punched myself in the ba*ls!
[sharp exhale]
So, we thought it was the right time
to pull in and compare some notes.
-[screeching]
-[music stops]
-[door closes]
-[Francis chuckles]
-[James sighs]
-Seriously.
The braking G-forces in that Mustang
are absurd.
Don't talk to me about G-forces.
-[laughter]
-Like,
-one thing, greater accelerating...
-[Tom] Yeah.
But in the corners,
like, my whole internal organs
were on this side, and then that side.
Listen, I don't know.
There's so much grip in this car.
Seriously,
when I had the traction control off,
it took me... Let's just say
it took me a while to get used to it.
I saw both of you
the other way around at one point.
-That's just a technique.
-Yeah, that's called backing it in.
-Yeah.
-For a sick drift.
[Francis] Enough of Thomas
and James's ridiculous excuses.
What we all wanted to know
was which of our cars
could set the quickest lap time here,
and to keep it fair,
I recruited a racing driver,
an English lad
from my hometown of Frome.
-Francis.
-[Francis] Jenson.
-How you doing?
-[Francis] Good to see you, man.
-That's Jenson Button.
-Jenson Button.
-How was your journey?
-Yeah, journey was great, thank you.
[Tom] Do we walk over?
Or do we wait for him to come here?
-I don't know.
-[Tom] Just...
-Is there an etiquette?
-Do I do hands on hips
or hands in pockets?
[Francis] May I introduce you
to my, uh-- my, my co-presenters.
-How you doing?
-Yeah, good.
J-- James.
Oh, all right, dude!
Personal space! Okay!
-This is exactly what I needed.
-Lovely! Awkward.
-[Francis] James, keep it cool.
-Good to see you, mate.
Hey, hey! I like-- yes!
Great!
[James] You guys love each--
You guys know each other?
Yeah, so, we used to live
in the same town in Somerset.
-Uh, you know.
-Frome.
-Frome.
-[James] 'Froome' where though?
Uh, in-- in Somerset.
-This is the car I was on about.
-[Jenson] Yes.
Uh, the Hennessy Venom
F5 Revolution Evolution.
Two thousand
and thirty-one brake horsepower.
-Wow.
-I've been driving it,
uh, and it is an absolute weapon.
-Yeah?
-[Tom] Do I do a hand...
And what are these guys doing here?
Well, we're-- so, they brought their...
-These are our cars.
-These are our cars here. Ours, yeah.
I've kind of seen you drive them and...
Yeah?
-You need me to drive them for you.
-[Tom] Okay.
-That's fair.
-[James] It's a science.
You want to start in the slow one?
The Mustang?
It's meaty though, isn't it?
Look at that.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-It's got some hips.
-You can deal with the muscle.
-[Jenson] Yeah.
All right.
-[Francis clears throat]
-Watch.
-Watch.
-That's a winning combo right there.
-[Francis] You guys are...
-[Tom] Look at the way he walks.
-Guys.
-Yeah?
-Can I just say this?
-Yeah.
Uh, really embarrassing.
[Tom] I thought we handled that well.
-It felt good.
-I feel like we're friends now.
-No.
[engine purring]
[James] So, first under the right foot
of the former F1 champ...
-[countdown beeping]
-...was my lovely Mustang.
-[starter beeps]
-[engine roaring]
[Jenson]
That was a good launch off the line.
Little bit of understeer.
[high-pitched whirring]
Up to turn two!
This is the first time
hearing the supercharger.
[Tom] Yeah.
[Tom and Francis high-pitched whoops]
[Tom laughs]
That's what you guys don't have.
You've got...
[hissing sound]
But could you hear the supercharger
from where you're driving?
No.
[engine roaring]
[Jenson]
Nice traction onto the back straight.
The shifts are lovely up the box.
-It does sound good.
-[Francis] Whoa, he's flying!
[Tom] He is absolutely moving.
[charger whirring]
[Jenson] Agh! Come on!
Come on, GTD!
[James] Final corner.
-Keep it, keep it, keep it.
-[Tom] Right to the edge of the track.
[James] Man knows how to drive.
-[Tom] Oh, my God!
-[James] There he goes!
[whoosh]
-[Tom] Do you have a time?
-I have nothing to compare it to.
[Tom] Okay.
[Tom] With the Mustang's time
carefully logged...
-[moody rock guitar]
-I was determined
to give the ZR1 and Jenson
the best opportunity for success.
[sigh] Okay, uh, Jenson, listen up.
Just be really super careful
going into turn one, okay?
It's a bit greasy. I'd suggest
trail braking.
You know?
Get some weight over the front
and as the car's coming
out of yaw on the exit,
you know, take some time
if the diff is open.
So, you know, just get on the throttle
progressively and slowly.
-[engine purring]
-[countdown beeping]
[starter rings]
[engine roars]
[loud revs]
[Jenson] The rear grip was pretty strong
considering 1,000 horsepower.
[Tom] Oh, my God,
look how quick that thing is going!
-[revs]
-[Jenson] Ogh!
A 100, 120...
It's just--
that's how it accelerates. 150!
You look worried.
This is the look of a worried man.
No, no, no.
It's a mirage because of the desert.
[engine roaring]
[Jenson]
Definitely feel a lot more body roll...
[loud revs]
...in this than the, uh, Mustang.
[Tom] Oh, little bit of--
a little squirrely on the exit.
-Jesus!
-[James] Ogh!
[Tom] Oh, my Lord!
-Oh, that picks up quick!
-[Francis laughs]
[Tom] He's so quick. Do you have a time?
[Francis laughs]
Um, I'm maintaining suspense.
Um, let's let the Venom go next.
[foreboding music]
[Francis radio] Hello, Jenson.
The Venom has treated one Fromie right
and I'm sure
that it will treat another right.
On, uh, five,
four, three...
-[engine crackling]
-Two, one...
Go!
[engine clacking]
[Tom] Flames! I see flames!
-[James] That was a lot of flames.
-[Tom] Oh!
-Not a perfect launch there.
-Not a perfect launch.
-[James] What happened there, Francis?
-[Tom] What happened?
James, it takes about three seconds
for the boost to build.
Oh, okay.
Well then, yeah, your car's sh*t.
-[tense music]
-[laughter]
[revving]
-[tires screech]
-[Jenson chuckles]
[Jenson] Ah!
I am holding on.
And I don't often do that
in a race car.
I am holding onto this thing.
-[engine growling]
-Listen to it!
Holy crap!
Look at him move!
[Jenson]
It's an absolute rocket ship.
[revving]
It's the only car
I'm left-foot braking though
'cause it feels
like a proper race pedal.
It's hard, it's aggressive.
[tense music]
That corner speed
doesn't look that quick.
He's right, it doesn't.
[tires screech]
[Jenson laughing]
Obviously, this thing is built
for straight-line speed.
It's not really built for this.
Come on, Jenson.
-[tires screech]
-[Jenson laughs]
[Tom] Oh, he's struggling.
[James] Yeah, you can tell
it's an absolute handful.
[Tom] My God, look at it go!
-[Francis cheers]
-[Tom] Across the line.
[Francis gasps]
[James] Yeah, that straight-line speed.
Oh, my goodness me.
[Jenson] Haha! I mean, wow.
That is... insane.
-Oh, my.
-[all laugh]
-That looked like a handful.
-It's not very often
that I feel like a car drives me.
-[laugh]
-Ooh!
-That one does.
-That's quite a statement.
That is an absolute machine.
It's mind-blowing, it really is.
Ah, there's a few things
that need improving.
It's still-- off the line,
it's not quite there.
-[Tom] Yeah.
-The gear shifts are a bit harsh,
but the-- when you get the throttle down
-and you get the traction...
-[Tom] Yeah.
-It blows my mind.
-Really?
-This feels quick.
-Yes.
-Puts a big smile on your face.
-It is quick.
-And you think there's nothing quicker.
-Yeah.
And then you get in that.
-[Tom laughs]
-[Jenson] And yeah, it's...
What about the Mustang though?
That doesn’t feel quick
in a straight line,
but it feels amazing around the corners.
That's the thing, the Mustang for me
-is a race car.
-Yeah.
It's well-balanced,
it does everything you want it to.
You feel that lap 30
-is going to be the same as lap one.
-Great.
The other two, maybe not so much.
Right, Francis,
put us out of our misery.
-I got to know.
-What's going on here?
-Are we ready? Okay.
-[all acquiesce]
-[Francis] The Ford Mustang GTD...
-[Tom] Yep.
...did it in 1:22:25.
-[James] Okay.
-[Tom] 1:22:25.
-The datum.
-Don't really know what that means.
-But yeah.
-It's a good start, it's a good start.
-The Corvette ZR1...
-[clears throat] This is a big deal.
-What?
-[James] Oh, wow!
[Tom laughing]
-What?
-I'm sorry.
That is a slaughter, James.
-No, no, no. No, no, no.
-That's what that is.
It is seconds,
whole seconds faster.
-Gentlemen?
-Yep.
-Hold onto your beverages.
-Okay.
[Francis] The Venom.
One ninteen...
point four two.
-[laughter]
-[James] Oh, wow!
Haha, yes!
-It's just that much of a handful.
-[Tom] Oh, my God!
It's that much of a handful.
-It really is.
-That's insane!
They didn't plan for it
to go around corners.
-[laughter]
-So, it's meant
for going extremely fast
in a straight line.
And, and I think
those three-tenths are off the line.
Definitely, but anyway,
wow, what a test!
And what a surprise,
I would say, with all three cars.
Fantastic driving, Jenson.
-Brilliant.
-Thank you, mate.
-[Francis] That was great.
-Oh, proper handshake!
-Bring it in.
-Whoa!
[James] With the world champion's
expert assessment delivered,
it felt like our work with these cars
was just about done.
See you later, cheers.
Or so we thought.
I got a call from the office
this morning.
They said the purpose of this trip
was to come here
and show off the last stand
-of internal combustion, right?
-Yeah, we have.
We've been fighting each other.
So, they said we're supposed
to go 200 miles North
to an airfield where apparently
there's some local firepower
that we're supposed to go up against
as a team.
But there's nothing as quick as these.
Yeah, I have no idea
what they're talking about.
So, we're like the Avengers.
[hip-hop beat]
[Tom] Rather baffled but intrigued
about what lay ahead,
we headed out for a 200-mile drive
to our final showdown.
[raucous revving]
[Francis radio]
James, you are surrounded by Mustangs.
Am I right in thinking
you all share
the same interior,
even though yours
is ten times more expensive?
[music fades]
Yes, you are correct.
I don't know why Ford did that.
But I don't have a screen that looks
like it's been plucked
out of an old Lotus, okay?
So, I wouldn't start going on
about interiors.
[laugh]
[Tom radio] Hey, Francis,
you used to work at Rolls-Royce, right?
Yes, correct, as an assembly engineer.
I was just curious what your thoughts were
on the quality
of your Venom considering
it's millions and millions of pounds.
Considering that
this is an extremely low-volume car,
there are no rattles,
there are no misaligned shut lines,
um... but I'm feeling
every single bit of detail in the road
-through my bottom.
-[James laughs]
It-- it's, uh...
it's not a, really, a pleasant feeling.
Don't worry, Francis.
This is where your car's going to shine,
hundreds-of-miles road trip
in a carbon-fibre bucket.
-I hope you're comfortable in there.
-[laughter]
[tense music]
[Francis] We continued onwards
through the Mojave Desert
in search of an overnight stop
ahead of tomorrow's showdown.
[intriguing, twangy guitar]
And with evening falling,
we came across an old mining town
near Death Valley
called Randsburg.
[music continues]
This is just locked in time.
Absolutely fantastic,
look at this place.
That guy's handlebar moustache
went down to his ankles.
-[Tom grunts]
-[music fades]
-[James] What a unique place!
-[Tom] It's cool, right?
I've never seen anything like it.
-We've got an inn.
-[car-lock chirps]
And a bar.
[sigh]
-What the he-- [laughing]
-[James] Oh, my God!
-[Tom] What happened to you?
-[James] Francis, what's happened?
-Did you spill something?
-No. My air conditioner stopped working.
You can see the seatbelt lines on you.
You look like a Rorschach painting.
-Great drive, guys.
-No! No, no, no, no.
You know, the-- the, uh, dye
from the leather on the wheel
actually meddled with my sweat
and has stained my jeans.
[Tom laughing]
Oh, my God!
-[Tom] While Francis dried himself out...
-[Francis sighs]
...we got some drinks in
and then settled down for a little chat
about our cars.
Genuinely,
what do you think about your cars?
-Francis?
-Money aside...
It can't be, but go on.
It has to be for him.
-Money aside...
-Okay.
...it's the best thing I've ever driven.
The experience is like none other
and it has the title,
most powerful internal-combustion-engine
production car in the world.
It's hard to argue with that.
And when you accelerate,
you can't breathe.
[laughing]
Here's the thing, I've fallen in love
with your car as well.
I wasn't entirely sure
about it at first.
When I first got in it,
it just felt like a GT500,
which is three times less the price
and has the same engine
-and feels just as fast.
-Yeah.
But just seeing Jenson touch it...
[laughing]
...it looked unbelievable.
I've kept the screen up
of my Mustang up in, in the inside
so I can keep looking at it.
-Yeah.
-[James] And looking at the suspension.
There's lots of special sauce
going on with it.
Yeah, um, can I talk about the Corvette
for a second?
Because it's brilliant.
I absolutely love it. I think
it is objectively almost perfect.
-It's almost faultless...
-[James] Yes.
[Tom] ...in its mission, however...
it has an identity crisis.
Yes, it does. I'm sorry.
-[laughing]
-With the turbocharged, high-revving,
flat-plane crank V8,
it's such an Italian supercar
wrapped up in a w-- weird,
American mid-engined body.
But it-- but it's cut price though.
It is, but, but I-- I just--
it doesn't matter
because you hear it and you drive it
and it feels Italy,
and then you're inside it
and the interior looks like a cross
between Las Vegas and the phrase,
"Y'all watch Nascar?"
-It's confused.
-D'you know what I mean?
Either way, I think it's brilliant.
I think they're all fant--
This is the coolest trio
-I've seen together.
-[Tom] Yeah.
All right, question,
g*n to your head,
which one would you take? Go.
Money no object.
-Venom.
-[Tom] Venom.
James.
GTD.
ZR1.
-Well, that was pointless.
-That was boring, haha!
-That was completely pointless, okay.
-Okay,
money object?
-Money object, ZR1.
-Corvette for sure, yeah.
GTD.
Fine.
But hey, I think it's good
that we all still love our cars
'cause it sounds
like we got something coming tomorrow.
-Yeah.
-And if yours is the superlative,
-we're going to be depending on you.
-[knocks on table]
I have a-- I have a feeling that speed
is going to come into play tomorrow.
Goodness.
[general chattering fades]
[tense, momentous music]
[big sting]
[digital trilling]
[trilling]
[music continues]
[music fades]
[James] Okay.
I like a good runway.
-[Tom] Yeah.
-What was the office saying?
That we're going to go up
against some local firepower?
Yeah, all I know is
that we're supposed to meet here,
work as a team,
and apparently there's some local grunt
that we're supposed to go up against.
You don't think
that it's going to be some sort of...
powerful, all-wheel-drive EV thing?
The thing is,
considering we're on a runway,
you'd imagine it would be something
like a top-fuel dri...
-[whoosh]
-[shouts]
[Francis] Holy...
[nervous laugh]
[Tom] Jesus!
[Francis sighs]
So, what do you think
we're racing against?
[distant jets howling]
[dark sting]
[Francis] Well,
this is what we'd be racing against,
a trio of L39 Albatross jets
flown by some
of the most American pilots
from the Patriots air-display team.
-[music fades]
-Good morning, gentlemen!
-Hi.
-Hi, hey.
My name's Corey "Zippy" Lovell.
Flying with me
will be Scott "Intake" Carvet
flying in the number-two position,
and following up
-will be Randy "Howler" Howell.
-[Tom] Copy that.
For future contact,
should we address you
by your call signs?
Absolutely.
Zippy,
-Howler, Intake.
-[Francis] Great.
We're going to have
to get you guys some call signs.
[Francis laughs]
-Uh... Ahem, well.
-We've got to think of one.
[Intake] You don't get to think
of you own call signs, for sure.
Oh, we don't get to think
of our own call signs?
-No, not at all, Molson.
-[James] Almost like a hazing.
-I see.
-Molson!
[Intake] Thomas,
you're from Canada, correct?
-Yes!
-[Intake] Ontario?
-[Francis] Molson.
-And I hear you like beer.
Yep. Nope, that's fine. I'm okay.
-[Howler] Molson it is.
-I'm okay with that.
And you'll be driving the Corvette,
is that right, Molson?
Yep, yep, yes. Yes, sir.
That's Stretch right there.
That's Stretch.
-Stretch?
-[Tom] Stretch. Stretch.
-'Cause I'm-- I'm long?
-[Tom] That's okay.
[Zippy] I'll be racing James.
We got to get James a name.
[Howler] I was talking to him earlier.
I asked him
what his favourite thing to do was.
-Holiday.
-Holiday.
He said, "I don't like to work.
I like holidays."
-Heard that about him too.
-That's so boring,
but that's a cool call sign.
I'm Holiday now?
[Tom] Okay, okay.
-Zippy.
-[Zippy] So, today's race,
I want to walk you through it real quick
so everyone knows.
We're going to have three cars
and three airplanes,
-and it's a relay race.
-[tense music]
The car needs to stay on the right side
and the plane will stay
on the left side of the runway.
[tense music]
We're going to be taking off
right next to you
and we'll take the left side
of the runway.
You cannot cross over.
As you come down here,
you're going to want to come out
to the left here, but don't.
You need to stay on your side.
The plane's going to come out here,
pulling about two or three G's
around the corner.
The car's going to continue.
You have this whole runway
and on this final stretch,
I'll come right back here, wings level,
uh, probably 3-400 miles an hour
and we're going to bring it down
-to about 20 feet.
-Twenty feet.
[Zippy] And this is going
to be an all-out race...
-Jesus.
-[Zippy] To see who can cross
the finish line first.
-[Francis] Okay.
-So...
big runway, turn right,
big runway, turn right,
big runway,
don't get hit by a plane?
-You got it.
-[Tom] Okay.
[Zippy] Any questions?
-N-- negative.
-No, we're ready.
-All right, let's do it, guys.
-Let's go race!
[foreboding music]
[Tom radio] Uh, any of you guys
watch relay racing in the Olympics?
Any ideas on strategy,
like, who goes first,
who goes last sort of thing?
The last time I did a relay was, uh,
in my secondary-school
sports day.
[chuckles]
Uh, if I'm right in thinking,
Usain Bolt went last
in the Jamaican relay team.
Okay, that makes sense.
That would be you then going last,
the most powerful,
and I guess, James, if you want to set
us off, it'll kind of give us a benchmark
and it'll tell me
how hard I need to push.
Yeah, okay, so Mustang first,
Corvette second, Venom third?
Let's do it.
[music continues]
The sight I'm seeing right now
in my rear-view screen...
holy moly.
[jet engines hissing]
[Tom] Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
[Tom nervous chuckle]
We're screwed.
[James] I see you, Zippy!
Damn, he actually--
That was really intimidating.
He just looked straight at me.
[Zippy radio] Okay, Patriots.
Let's take these guys.
Standby, ten seconds.
[revving]
Launch control, activated!
Two, one...
-[sting]
-Go!
-[Tom] Go! Yes!
-Go on, James!
[James] Oh, beat him off the line!
[Tom] Good! Good launch!
[suspenseful music]
[Francis] Initially,
the cars would have the advantage
because they were much quicker
off the line.
[raucous revving]
I'm crushing him!
Oh, come on, buddy.
Oh, 140?
Oh, we are moving!
Braking zone, braking, braking.
The jet's almost in the air.
The jet's almost in the air.
Where is he? Oh, he's coming.
[Zippy radio] I'm rotating.
Those brakes are phenomenal!
There goes the plane!
[Zippy radio] He's making the turn.
Gently on the power.
[revving]
[whooshing]
[Tom] God, that's a tight bank.
Come on, James. Where are you?
[James] One-ten!
-One twenty, where's--
-[beep]
There he is! Don't look. Don't look.
Concentrate. Concentrate.
And brake.
Woah... Those brakes are so good!
Coming 'round.
Through the track!
[Zippy radio] Okay, I'm full throttle.
I'm going to try to run him down here
on the home stretch.
[Tom] Here he comes. It's almost my go.
-Tag me in, buddy!
-Where is he?
-[whoosh]
-I'm winning!
I don't see him!
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Oh! That was so close!
He's going to beat me off the line.
The jet's coming back first.
-[beep]
-[Zippy radio] Go, go, go!
[Tom] Come on, James!
[beep]
-[revving]
-Oh, my God, I am racing a jet!
Bye bye! Bye bye, sir!
Oh, God.
Be brave, Thomas. Keep your foot--
Oh, Jesus.
Christ almighty!
Tramlining.
One-sixty!
One-seventy!
[sigh]
Brake, brake, brake, brake.
Oh, sh*t, moving around on the brakes.
Oh, that's scary.
Where's the jet? Where is he?
Thomas, focus on the corner.
Don't look at the jet.
There he goes!
[whoosh]
Get on the throttle. Oh, my God!
[action music]
It's slick!
Come on, Thomas! Foot down!
Oh, my God, I'm losing the rear.
Ogh!
There's sand on the runway.
There he is!
Oh, I'm moving around.
I'm moving around.
Braking.
Here he comes. Here he comes.
[Howler radio] Molson, I've got you.
[Tom] Come on, Thomas!
-[whoosh]
-Holy sh*t!
There's Thomas!
There's the plane!
Oh, he's going to overtake him!
[James] With Thomas now behind,
it was time to play our ace card.
-[click]
-[ominous bell rings]
[slow-motion pops]
Look at that!
-[click]
-[whirring]
Come on, Thomas! Where are you?
[James] Go, go, go!
[tires screeching]
Stretch, go!
[revving]
[Francis] I need to catch up to the jet!
Come on, Venom!
I'm catching the jet!
[Intake radio]
Oh, man, that thing's fast.
[Francis] Hundred and eighty!
I'm on the brakes now.
I'm on the brakes!
There he goes!
[James] They're close. They're close.
[Tom] Where is he?
[Francis] The jet's already banking.
Oh, God, too wide here.
Come on!
Come on, Venom!
I see Francis.
[Intake radio] He's quick.
Where's the jet?
Hard on the brakes!
Down in second.
[whoosh]
[Intake radio]
I've got to try and catch him.
[Francis] Get on the power!
[revving]
[James] I can't see Stretch.
-There, I see Stretch!
-There he is!
[Francis] Hundred and sixty!
Where's the jet?
Where's the jet?
Two hundred miles and hour!
-No!
-Oh, he just missed him!
Oh, no!
[whoosh]
-[Tom] Holy crap!
-[hands clap]
-[James] And he's throwing the smoke.
-[Tom] Hoo hoo!
That's the first time I've ever hit 200!
[solemn music]
James, there's so much adrenaline
going through my body right now.
I'm-- I'm just happy with that.
I feel like I'm talking really fast.
Is this--
is this the normal speed that I talk?
We just lost.
We just lost it!
[snivel]
I felt the need.
-[Tom] Don't say it.
-The need for the toilet.
Yeah!
[laughing]
[James] We may have lost
to the fighter jets,
but all three of these cars
had shown us
that petrol-powered performance
isn't going to be driven out of town
anytime soon.
[Tom] That was so close!
-[Francis] So close!
-That was so close!
-[James] You did so well.
-[Tom] Oh, man!
-My air conditioning broke as well!
-[laughing]
[uplifting music]
-[Francis sighs]
-Oh, my God.
-[James] You did really well.
-Oh, thanks.
Stretch, not Francis. Sorry.
-Stretch.
-And Molson.
Molson, Holiday.
What an ending
to our first ever Grand Tour.
On a loss?
-Yeah, I'll take it.
-[James] That's okay.
-I'll take it.
-This is not going to be easy.
No, this is not an easy job.
So, we'll start how we mean to continue.
[music builds]
[music fades]
Our cars are in there?
[Francis] Who had bought
the best five-grand sports car?
[cheers]
You bought an old XKR for five grand?
I feel like I'm in The Last of Us.
[tires screeching]
[American accent] I'm going to beat
all those guys no matter what!
I'm breaking down
as we speak, literally!
[loud revving]
-[Francis] No way!
-Is that loud enough?
-Second gear, James!
-Second gear!
[revving]
[Francis] I'm sorry, pal, but you're done.
[upbeat rock music]
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Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register